Vergne takes victory in Techeetah 1-2 af Santiago

Saturday’s Santiago ePrix for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship saw a little history made as Techeetah Formula E Team scored the first 1-2 in series history, with Jean-Eric Vergne leading teammate Andre Lotterer to the line.

That was great fun!” said an ecstatic Vergne as he took the checkered flag. “It’s racing in the end and I had a lot of pace in the car.

“He knows exactly how to defend!” added Lotterer, justifying his numerous attacks on his teammate. “A one-two win, buddies, and podiums – life is good!”

As a customer team, Techeetah are limited to just three test days – while other manufacturers get 15, making the double all the more impressive.

In third place was Renault e.dams’ Sebastien Buemi who dropped a place after starting the race in second place.

“In general, I’m a bit disappointed. Third place is always good but a bit disappointed to be behind our customer team,” Buemi said.

Despite Dragon driver Jose Maria Lopez crashing out on the first lap, bringing out the Qualcomm safety car for the following three laps, Vergne led the way from the his pole position start. Leading the way, Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Nelson Piquet Jr. was sandwiched in between the two Techeetahs in the opening laps, keeping close on Vergne’s tail, and even making contact with the leader’s rear fender.

On lap 28, DS Virgin Racing’s Alex Lynn retired from the race while Buemi and Piquet battled it out. Eventually, Buemi made him on Turn 4 of lap 32.

Behind the Techeetah teammates, Sebastien Buemi finished third for Renault e.dams, outdueling Nelson Piquet Jr. in the Panasonic Jaguar Racing entry. Piquet, in an attempt to pass Buemi for third, overshot his corner entry and gently nosed into the tire barrier. However, he rebounded to finish sixth.